One Fine Day
by trublonde18
Summary: "One fine day, you'll look at me and you'll know our love was meant to be." Loosely based on the movie One Fine Day starring Michelle Pfeiffer & George Clooney. Two single parents, Matt Casey & Gabby Dawson, are forced to take turns watching each other's children after they miss their field trip. It's only for one day. What's the worst that could happen?
1. Chapter 1

One Fine Day

Loosely based on the movie with Michelle Pfeiffer & George Clooney.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

AU: Brief background-Gabby is recently divorced and has a son. She is a Resident at Chicago Med. Matt has a daughter but was never married to her mom. He is still a Lieutenant and does construction on the side. They live in the same building but different floors and they don't "know" each other. Happy reading and if you like, please review.  
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Normally the incessant and annoying noise coming from her alarm would be a rude reminder that it was time to get up and face another day, but Gabby was already awake and had been staring at the clock for the past thirty minutes. Her mind kept running through the laundry list of things that needed to be done and she had to face the fact; going back to sleep was not going to happen for her. Resigning herself to this reality she stretched out her tired limbs and let out a deep breath. Time to get this show on the road. And on that note, she got out of bed to wake her up her son and begin their morning routine.

Grabbing her keys out of the bowl on the entry table and throwing her bag over her shoulder she called out, "Austin, make sure you get your backpack. Let's move it. I don't want you to be late for your field trip."

"I'm coming, Mom."

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He could feel her watching him. He knew what would come next. He would pretend to still be asleep and then she would sneak around to his side of the bed and pry his eyelids open. "Good Morning, Daddy." It was how she woke him up every-single-day.

"Good Morning Isabella."

"Daaaaad. It's just Bella, remember?"

"Yes. You're right," Matt answered as he thought about how quickly his little girl was growing up.

"I guess it's time for both of us to get up and at 'em. I'll make go make breakfast while you get dressed for your field trip." As she skipped down the hallway back to her room she said, "Dad. Don't forget my permission slip. It is on the counter in the kitchen."

"I won't, princess."

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Gabby stood on the sidewalk of the busy street and raised her right arm to hail a cab. It was unusually warm for a spring day in Chicago and after the eternal winter they endured it appeared that everyone had the same idea to be outside and enjoy the sun.

Matt and Bella finally made their way to the curb just as Austin recognized his classmate.

"Hi Bella," he called out.

"Hey Austin. "

Looking down at his daughter Matt asked, "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, we are in the same class. He is probably on his way to the field trip too. "

Nodding his head in agreement Matt looked up and glanced at the beautiful woman a few steps away that unmistakably had to be Austin's mom. He couldn't help but notice that she was not having any luck getting the attention of a driver.

Matt decided to help her out so he whistled and shouted, "Taxi."

Gabby turned around to face him, "Ugh. Typical," she huffed under her breath.

"Hi. I don't think we have officially met. My daughter is Bella and I am Casey. Well, Matthew Casey. But you can call me Casey or Matt or…"

Gabby stared at the babbling man as he trailed off. "Save it. I know who you are. You and your other hot shots somehow manage to fill beds in the ER I work at just about every other day. What's the mouthy one's name? You know, the one that s-c-r-e-w-s anything with a pulse? Tell him to leave my nurses alone."

He stood there totally and completely dumbfounded. Someone really should have told him that it was impolite to leave his mouth hanging open like that. He was rendered speechless. He clenched his jaw shut before he could even utter another word. Scratching the back of his neck he mumbled something that sounded like, "right." _Well that could have gone better!_

Before he knew it a taxi had pulled up alongside the curb and honked, breaking through the awkward silence.

"Well, our chariot awaits. If you don't mind sharing we could ride together. I mean we are all going to the same place. "

"Oh, my hero. Thank you," she said through a smile laced with sarcasm.

Checking her watch Gabby decided she didn't have any more time to wait and opted to share the ride with him. _What's the worst that could happen?_

As the four settled into their seats Bella asked, "Daddy. Did you remember my slip?"

"Oh, shi—oot." Feeling the scrutiny of Gabby's intense burning gaze he managed to catch his almost slip of the tongue.

"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Gabby scoffed. "Right, like we can really move. We are kind of sardined in here with these backpacks. Make it quick. We are already late as it is."

"Dad, can I play with your phone while we wait?" Matt answered by simply tossing her his iPhone as he scrambled out of the cab.

"Hey, Mom. Can I play with your phone too?"

"Sure, honey."

Less than five minutes later Matt had made his way back down to the cab and they were on their way to the Navy Pier. The foursome fumbled their way out of the cab as Matt threw $30 at the driver and rushed to the end of the pier. They made it just in time to see the ferry boat tug back from the dock.

Gabby turned to her left and swung her purse at Matt, effectively smacking him in the chest.

"You."

"This. "

With each word he took a step back.

"This is all your fault. If you had remembered Bella's permission slip we wouldn't have been late. Now they have missed their field trip."

"What am I going to do? We have a new group of interns starting at the hospital today and I am in charge of overseeing their every move. I also have rounds starting in less than an hour."

"Hey. Look we both have hectic schedules today. I have a presentation for one of my construction jobs before my night shift at the firehouse. Why don't we take turns watching the kids? I'm sure we can make it work. Let me try to fix this. It is kind of my fault."

"Kind of your fault? It is ALL your fault," Gabby rebutted with annoyance.

"Okay. Okay. You win," Matt feigned defeat. "My offer still stands to swap turns with the kiddos."

"Right. As if I would trust you with my eight-year-old son. I don't even really know you," she answered him pointedly.

"Uh. Hello. My daughter is the same age and I think she's turned out pretty great. I've managed to make it this far. Plus, do you have any other options this last minute? I know I don't."

"Well, I guess you do have a point. What time is your presentation?"

"It's at 12:30,"

Gabby was silent for a moment as she contemplated his proposal. "Okay. I will head to the hospital for rounds and to get introductions with the interns out of the way. Then you can bring the kids to me and I will take them to lunch during your meeting. After that we can swap again."

"That works for me."

Gabby bent down to her son's level as she adjusted his lightweight sweater, "Austin, I want you to be on your best behavior for Matt. I will see you in a couple of hours."

"I will, Mom."

"Alright, Matt. I will see you all of you at the hospital a little before 12:30."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed as they made their way to their respective rides.

"Oh wait," he called out as Gabby turned around, "I never did actually get your name."

Gabby smirked and rolled her eyes, "It's Gabby. Gabriela Dawson."

This was really turning into _One Fine Day._

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the follows & reviews! :) This hiatus is killing me.

A/N: Kind of a dialogue heavy chapter.

Gabby rushed through the door of the staff lounge of the emergency room huffing in frustration as she made her way to her locker to grab a pair of scrubs so she could change.

"Hey girl. What's got you all hot and bothered this morning? Did you finally decide to switch teams? Or did you get laid? I can't wait to hear all of the dirty details."

Gabby laughed in spite of herself. Leslie Shay was another Resident at the ER and was one of her closest friends. She also had no filter; none whatsoever. Gabby appreciated her straightforwardness and no nonsense approach to just about everything in life.

"Good morning to you too, Shay."

"So?" she questioned with perfectly arched eyebrows. "Which one is it?"

"Would you believe me if I said neither one?" Gabby replied glancing over her shoulder.

"Damn. Well, you can't blame a girl for trying."

"You would not believe the morning I've had."

"That good, huh?"

"Ugh. Austin's class was scheduled to go on a harbor cruise today. Long story short we ended up sharing a cab with one of his classmates and her dad. Turns out they live in the same building. Her dad also happens to be one of the Lieutenant's from Firehouse 51."

"51? I'm assuming her dad isn't Lieutenant Playboy so it must be the other devastatingly handsome one."

"That would be him. Anyway, we finally got sandwiched in the cab just for him to realize he forgot his daughter's stupid permission slip. By the time we made it to the pier the boat had already pulled back. Neither one of us had backup daycare options, so now I am here & he has the kids for a few hours. We are planning to meet at lunch time so I can watch them while he does a presentation for one of his construction gigs. Did I mention he does construction on the side? As if being a firefighter isn't hot enough. Could you imagine that man with a hammer?"

"Maybe we can get you laid after all."

"You are shameless Leslie Shay."

"You know you love me," she quipped. "So. Are you ready to meet our new interns?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Gabby deadpanned.

"Oh come on. They can't be as bad as Thing 1 and Thing 2?"

Gabby threw her head back in laughter as they headed out of the locker room, "How could I forget them? The look on their faces when as we went over the 5 rules with them will forever be etched in my memory."

Shay joined in Gabby's laughter.

"Oh, or what about doom and gloom McCauley? You would've thought someone had died when the lid came off his cup of coffee and spilled all over him. I really don't miss him 'catastrophizing' everything."

"The best idea he ever had was transferring to a different specialty."

"Most definitely," Gabby agreed.

"Alright twisted sister. Rounds aren't going to do themselves. Let's do this," Shay said.

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"So kids where to first?" Matt asked as he silently wondered what in the world he was going to do with two, eight year olds for the morning. Taking care of his own daughter was one thing but another child, especially one that he knew next to nothing about? Yeah, he wasn't sure what he was in for.

"We could go to the park," Bella suggested.

"What about you, Austin? Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, Bella told me that you are a firefighter."

"That's right. I'm a Lieutenant on Truck 81 at my firehouse."

"Do you think we could go visit the station? I have never been to one before." Austin looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Uh, yeah. We could do that. I can take you on a tour of the house. You can see the firetrucks and meet some of the people I work with."

"Cool," Austin & Bella said as they high-fived each other.

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"Excuse me one moment. I need to take this call," Gabby said as she handed her patient's chart to the closest intern she could find.

"Hello?" she answered as she continued down the hallway.

"Oh. Hi. Who is this?"

"Who is this? You called me."

"This is Katya. I was trying to reach Matt."

A million thoughts ran through her mind but first, why would anyone be calling _her_ phone for Matt? Unless? Pulling the phone away from her ear she quickly realized it was not in fact her white iPhone but rather its black counterpart. How did she not notice that before?

"Oh shit," Gabby mumbled as she reached up to rub her temple. _Matthew Casey was the gift that seemed to keep on giving._

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Katya asked.

"Sorry. It's nothing. Matt isn't available right now. "

"Okay, can you let him know that Mr. Nesbitt wanted to see a copy of his construction designs before their meeting?"

"Sure thing."

 _Well this is just perfect!_

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"Hello?"

"Matt. It's Gabby."

Smiling into the phone, "Hey. How did you get my number? Not that I mind. I just realized I forgot to give it to you earlier."

"That seems to be a recurring thing with you; forgetting things. But that is beside the point. You have my phone."

"What? I don't have your phone."

"Yes you do and I just called you from yours."

"How did that happen?"

"I'm not sure. It must have happened when the kids played with them in the cab earlier. Anyway, you just got a call from a woman named Katya and she wanted me to tell you that some guy wants you to drop off a copy of your designs before your presentation today."

"Thank you for letting me know."

"No problem. We can switch phones when you get here with the kids. How is Austin by the way?"

"Austin. Who is Austin? Matt replied jokingly.

"You are not funny."

"Oh admit it. You find my humor charming."

"I'm hanging up now."

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Shortly after his conversation with Gabby, Matt and the kids arrived at Firehouse 51. As they made their way into the garage they were greeted by Christopher Hermann.

"Hey Lieutenant what are you doing here? I thought you had swapped for the night shift because you had a construction thing going on today."

"You're right. I did switch shifts, but Bella and her classmate missed their field trip this morning so his mom and I had to get creative with babysitting today. We stopped by here to kill some time. Plus this little guy has never been to a fire station before."

"Ah I see. Hi Miss Bella."

"Hi Hermann," she greeted cheerfully."

"And who might this be?"

"My name is Austin. I'm 8."

Chuckling, Hermann introduced himself. "Hi Austin. I'm Christopher. I have a son about your age. He likes to play hockey, do you?"

"Yeah. It's one of my favorite sports. I love the Blackhawks."

"I like this kid already," Hermann said as he squeezed Matt's shoulder.

"So Austin, over in this room is where we store all of our turnout gear. It helps keeps us safe during fires," Matt explained. "And the firetruck with 81 on it is mine."

"What about the one with the 3?"

"That is Squad truck but you don't need to know anything about that," he jested.

"Hey man. That's not fair. He should know all about Squad. We do cool rescues," Kelly Severide said as he entered the room.

"Who is this Casey? Got a long lost kid we don't know about?"

"Very funny, Kelly. You're one to talk. God knows how many little Severide's are out there running around somewhere."

Just about all of the blood drained from Kelly's face with that comment as his mind started thinking about that possibility.

"Relax man. I'm only kidding. This is Bella's classmate, Austin. They missed their field trip so his mom and I are taking turns with the kids today."

"Got it. I'm just going to head back to my quarters. Catch ya later."

Just as Kelly left the garage Bella ran up to Matt. "Daddy, can we go for quick ride? Please, please, please," she pleaded with a pouting lip and puppy eyes that he could never say no to.

"Alright. Once around the block. But no sirens!"

"Yes," Bella & Austin screamed with excitement.

After a quick trip around the corner they pulled back into the station and climbed out of the truck.

"That was awesome. Thank you, Matt. I can't wait to tell my mom all about it."

"You're welcome. Let's go inside and I'll show you around the rest of the house."

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"This is the common room where we spend most of our time. The guy cooking is Candidate, Peter Mills and the two guys playing cards are Cruz and Otis."

"Guys, this is Austin. He is in Bella's class and he is going to be hanging out with us today."

"Hey Austin & Bella."

"Hi guys."

"Oh and the man sitting at the table is Mouch."

"Mouch?" Austin questioned. "That's a funny name."

"It's half man-half couch," Cruz stated not even looking up from his hand of cards.

Austin scrunched his nose at this explanation.

"My real name is Randy, son."

"What are you doing over there?"

"Sorting my marble collection," Mouch replied.

"Cool. I love marbles. I have some at home too. Can I see?"

"Sure. Come take seat."

"Bella, Austin, while you guys are looking at the marbles I'm going to check in with the Chief for a moment. I'll be right back. And please, try to stay out of trouble."

Twenty minutes later, Cruz knocked on the Chief's door.

"Sorry to interrupt. Lieutenant you might want to get back out here. You're going to want to see this."

"This is your fault," Bella said.

"No it's not."

"Is too," Bella answered as she stuck out her tongue.

"No it's not. You dared me."

"Hey you two what is going on?" Matt asked as he came into the room.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you would really do it," she said.

"You didn't think he would do what?" Matt asked again.

Austin slowly raised his head so he could show Matt.

"Daddy, I didn't think he would actually stick a marble in his nose."

Turning to the other adults in the room, Matt yelled, "I'm gone for like twenty minutes and this happens. I should've known better than to leave you with them."

"Sorry, Lieutenant. It happened really quickly," Mouch tried to explain.

Matt squatted down to get a better look at Austin's nose. "Wow. You really got that marble up there buddy."

"Hey. Mills, do you think you can help me get this out of his nose? I will die a slow, painful death at the hands of his mother if anything happens to him."

"Yeah. Let's go to the ambo. I'm sure there is something in there I can use to get it out."

Fifteen minutes later Mills managed to remove the marble from his nose.

"See. You are as good as new," Matt said as he ruffled his hand over Austin's head.

"Not a word to your mom. This will be our secret."

"Deal."

Matt glanced down at his watch. "And look at that. It's almost time to go meet your mom. I have to make a stop at my construction job on our way to the hospital so we better get moving."

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Shortly before noon, Gabby & Shay stood at the nurse's station updating charts.

Gabby's phone, or technically Matt's, began ringing for the second time.

"Hello?" she answered as she propped the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Hi. This is Katya again. Can you please let Matt know that one of the kids left their backpack here?"

"And where is 'here', exactly?"

"Stilettos. Downtown."

"Hmm. Okay. Thanks."

Gabby racked her brain. Stilettos? The name totally sounded shady but it wasn't ringing any bells.

"Shay, have you heard of Stilettos?"

"Yeah. It's a strip club. Why do you ask?"

Gabby's eyes widened in shock, "You have got to be kidding me!"

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To say she was livid would be the understatement of the year. Gabby paced back in forth in the waiting room as she waited for Matt to arrive with the kids. Her patience was wearing thin with every agonizing minute that passed.

"Gabs. You should really sit down. You are going to wear a hole in the floor. I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for Matt taking the kids there. Plus, maybe it's a different Stilettos. Maybe he is doing construction for a shoe store with the same name."

Gabby looked at her like she was less than convinced.

Hearing the sliding doors open Gabby glanced up and saw the three of them heading in her direction.

Pointing at Matt, "You. Outside."

Matt's mouth went dry. There was no way she could have found out about Austin's marble incident yet and if he had it his way she never would, so what could possibly be wrong?

"Hey Bella & Austin. Can you stay with Shay for a moment while I talk to Matt?"

"Okay!"

Gabby & Matt made their way outside and once she was sure the kids were out of earshot, the little restraint Gabby had been holding onto was lost.

"Matthew Casey, tell me you did NOT take my kid to a strip club."

 _If looks could kill he would certainly be a dead man._

"I did not take your kid to a strip club…"

"Oh thank goo-" but she was cut off as Matt continued,

"I took him into an office inside of the club."

"Are you out of your mind? What kind of reasonable person takes a child to a strip club?"

"You knew I had a construction presentation today."

"Yes but you left out the minor detail that it was for the adult entertainment industry."

"Look it was quick stop. I didn't want to leave the kids sitting in the cab. I just had to drop the designs off for Jack to review before I go back for my presentation. They stayed in the office in the front of the club. It's not like I would let them see anything. Trust me. I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal? The big deal? You are unbelievable!" Gabby threw her hands up and began spouting off words in Spanish.

Matt couldn't understand what she was saying but it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was not his biggest fan. He stood back and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Gabby begin to pace. He found her little tantrum rather amusing.

"Gabby? Gabby?" His raised voice snapped her out of her rant and she turned to face him.

"Look. I'd really love to stay and watch you continue to come undone, but I really need to make it to this presentation on time."

"This conversation is not over but fine. The kids and I will meet you here again in a few hours."

The two entered the waiting room again so Matt could say goodbye to Bella.

"Bella, please be good for Gabby. I will see you in a little bit."

"Okay Daddy. Good luck at your meeting," she smiled sweetly.

"Thanks baby girl," Matt replied as he kissed her on top of the head and made his exit.

"Alright kiddos, who is hungry? Gabby asked. Let's go grab lunch."

"Yay!" the two kids shouted.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews and favorites. I really appreciate it. I apologize for the delay in updates, but this one will complete the story.

I don't own anything, except for the typos and grammar mistakes.

P.S. Kudos to the person that can find the Grey's reference.

Gabby and the kids had walked to a diner close to the hospital and were quickly seated next to the front window of the restaurant overlooking the bustling city sidewalk.

After they settled into the booth and the server had brought their drinks Gabby asked the kids what they wanted to eat.

"ICE CREAM!" They answered simultaneously.

Laughing at their outburst Gabby answered, "How about we have some real food and then we can talk about ice cream?"

"Deal" they hummed in agreement.

The three enjoyed their lunch and then decided on hot fudge sundaes with extra whipped cream for dessert.

Austin and Bella sat across from Gabby giggling about something or another as ate.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. It's a secret."

"Oh yeah. What kind of secret?" She asked, curiosity peeked.

"We can't tell you, but it has something to do with my dad."

Gabby wondered what kind of secret they could possibly have with Matt. Had something happened earlier that she didn't know about? She knew she would get to the bottom of it eventually.

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After lunch Gabby took the kids to a bookstore around the corner from the diner. They still had time to kill before Matt would be finished with his presentation.

It was a hole in the wall kind of a place and Gabby loved the character of the store. It wasn't your typical big box chain and it reminded her of 'Shop Around The Corner' from the movie _You've Got Mail_. She could easily get lost in the aisles in search of the perfect book.

"Hey kiddos, the children's section is over on this aisle if you want to pick out a book."

"Cool, mom." "Thanks, Gabby." The two answered as they headed in that direction.

Gabby stopped for a moment to look at a cookbook that was on an aisle end cap.

A few minutes later Austin appeared with the book he wanted. "Hey mom I'm ready to go if you are."

"Yeah. Where is Bella?"

"I thought she was with you picking out a book."

"Bella?" Gabby called. "Bella where are you?"

"Excuse me, have you seen a little girl that came in with me?" Gabby asked the woman at the register. She's about 8. She's wearing a pink sweater. Blue eyes, brown hair.

"No. I'm sorry Miss."

Gabby started to panic. Where could she have possibly gone? It had only been a matter of minutes. How could she just disappear?

"Austin, I can't find her."

"Why don't you call Uncle Antonio? He can help."

Gabby wondered when her son had become so smart and how she hadn't thought of that in the first place.

She quickly called him. "Antonio. Antonio. Bella she's, she's gone."

"Whoa, Gabs. Slow down a minute. Bella, who? Tell me what happened."

"Her name is Isabella Casey. Austin's school had a field trip today. Long story short, he and Bella ended up missing the ferry and her dad and I have been taking turns watching the kids today. I took them to the bookstore and now she's missing. I only had my back turned for a minute."

"Ok. I pulled the address from your phone. My unit is on the way. Take a deep breath. It will be ok."

Ten minutes later Antonio and the rest of the team arrived at the bookstore.

"Antonio, how do I tell someone I lost their kid? I was so rude to him this morning. I told him he was forgetful, irresponsible and now I'm the one that can't find his daughter. And I can't even get a hold of him."

"What do you mean you can't get a hold of him?"

"I've been trying to reach him but his phone keeps going to voicemail. He had a presentation for one of his construction jobs so he probably turned it off. "Matt. It's Gabby again. Call me."

"We are going spread out and canvas the area. Don't worry, Gabs we will find her."

It had only been a little over an hour but it had felt like days. How could she have gotten that far?

Gabby and Austin were standing out by a police cruiser giving a description and statement to one of the other officer's when Antonio called out. "Gabby, look who Burgess & Roman found down the block at the pet store?"

"Bella, sweetheart. Oh thank God. I am so glad you are okay. You had me so worried," Gabby cried in relief. "You went to a pet store?"

"There was a cat hanging out in the reading corner and he started to run away so I followed him and we ended up at the pet store. I have been trying to get my Dad to let us have a kitten and they had the perfect one there. I got to hold one of them. It was so cute and fluffy."

"Gabby, we are going to head back down to the station and finish paperwork to wrap this up unless you need anything else."

"Antonio. Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't have found her."

Just then her phone started ringing. It was Matt. Finally.

Before she could even get a word in edgewise Matt started rattling off frantic questions, "Gabby, what do you mean Bella is missing? What is going on? I'm on my way. I don't—"

"Matt. Everything is ok. We found her and she is with me. My brother is a Detective. He and his unit came to help find her. She was found in the pet store down the block. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. One minute she was with me and the next minute I turned around and she was just gone."

"You have her? And she's ok? I have never been so scared in my life."

"Yes, yes she's fine. I promise. She was gone for about an hour. Why don't you meet us back at the hospital? I have to get a few things from my locker and you can pick her up from there."

"Alright. I'll see you there soon."

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"Daddddyyy," Bella yelled as she saw Matt race through the hospital doors. He picked her up and held onto her like nothing else in the world mattered. "Bella. Don't ever scare me like that again. "

Gabby stood back and watched the heartwarming scene between a father and daughter.

"Matt. I'm really sorry again. I can't apologize enough."

"Gabby, its ok. All that matters is that she is home and safe. I know it wasn't entirely your fault. These things happen."

"Bella, please apologize to Gabby for wandering off. You probably gave her a heart attack."

"I'm really sorry for scaring you Gabby. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to see the kittens."

"Bella. I'm just glad you were found and are safe now."

"Well Matt, I guess this is where I leave you. I just wanted to say thank you for your help with Austin today. I know we all had a lot going on but somehow we made it work."

"We did make a good team," he agreed. "I'm sure we will see you around."

"Would you guys want to come over for dinner later tonight? I could whip up my famous homemade mac and cheese. It's the least I can do," she offered with a hopeful smile as he and Bella started to leave.

"Thanks, but I think we've had enough excitement for one day. We are going to head home and call it a day."

He almost missed it but there was a slight flash of disappointment that met her eyes. A feeling came over him, one that he couldn't quite place. But the only thing that did make sense was that he wanted to see more of her. "But Gabby, rain check?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sure. Another time then."

"Come on bud," Gabby said as she ruffled Austin's hair. "Let's head home. It has been a long day."

"I guess it's probably not the best time to tell you about my incident with a marble then?"

"Austin, again?" She scolded. "What have I told you about putting things in your nose?"

"I know, but Bella dared me and I thought it would be cool to show the guys at the firehouse how cool it is and then it got stuck in my nose and one of the people Matt works with had to help.

"Well you should be happy they were able to get it out. Next time you might not be so lucky."

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Austin was watching a movie in the living room and Gabby was rummaging through the refrigerator for rest of the ingredients when there was a knock at the door.

She didn't bother looking through the peephole and was pleasantly surprised to see the last person she expected to be standing on the other side.

"Matt. Bella. Hi. "

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," he began with a timid smile. "Does the offer for dinner still stand?"

"Yeah Gabby. Please don't make me eat my Dad's cooking again," Bella pleaded.

"Well how could I say no to that? Come on in."

"Hey my cooking is not that bad," he feigned innocence and nudged Bella with his elbow as they made their way into the apartment.

"Dad, you just burnt our grilled cheese sandwiches. It is that bad."

Gabby simply laughed. "Bella, Austin is in the living room watching a movie if you would like to join him."

"Would you like my help with anything?"

"No, thanks. I think you've done enough damage in the kitchen for one evening mister."

"Touché."

Matt sat back and observed as she moved effortlessly through the kitchen adding and mixing all of the ingredients. It felt like home to him.

An hour later dinner was served and conversation flowed easily for the rest of the evening.

"Gabby. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."

"You're very welcome. Austin, do you and Bella want to finish the movie you were watching earlier or pick a new one while Matt and I clean up the mess from dinner?"

"Ok, mom," he answered as they excused themselves from the table.

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With the kids in the other room, Gabby & Matt cleared the dishes from the table and fell into a comfortable routine washing and drying at the sink.

"This was nice. I'm glad you two came."

"Thank you for having us." He paused for a moment, contemplating his next move as he turned to face her.

"What would you do if I kissed you right now?"

She was somewhat taken aback at his forward gesture, but she would be lying if she said the thought didn't excite her.

"You. You aren't going to kiss me."

"So you're telling me not to kiss you"

"What no. I just."

 _She was like coming up for fresh air._ Sassy as hell, stubborn and perhaps exactly what he needed.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a control freak?"

"I'm not a total control freak."

"This must be difficult for you?"

"What?

"Admitting that you were wrong. That maybe I'm not as terrible as you thought I was."

"I never said you were terrible. I said you were forgetful. There is a difference."

"Right. Says the woman who lost my child."

"I thought were past that. You could have told me she has a tendency to run off and hide."

"And you could have told me your son has a tendency to put things where they don't belong."

"I.."

"Gabby. I'm going to kiss you now."

"OK."

It was a whisper of a kiss. Breathless. Soft, warm and it left her wanting more.

In that moment she wondered what it would be like to have him kiss her for a lifetime.

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Hours later Gabby stirred from her sleep and a mild panic set in. She was on the couch, in a rather uncomfortable position that she was sure would leave a mark, and she was most definitely not alone. The memories from the evening flooded her mind and she smiled to herself in contentment. The blue glow from the TV screen provided just enough light in the background to illuminate the room and Gabby took in the sight before her. The two kids were sprawled out across the living room floor with blankets and pillows and Matt was propped up on the other end of the couch. She glanced over at his sleeping form and marveled how her luck had changed in the matter of one day. Closing her eyes she settled back into her spot on the couch. She could get used to this.

 _One Fine Day. You'll look at me & you'll know it was meant to be. _


End file.
